Joseph Bova is accused of first degree murder in the execution-style shooting of store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado at the Mobil convenience store on State Road 100 in February 2013.
Circuit & County Court
Ex-‘Funworld Place’ Owner Indicted on Federal Gun and Drug Charges as State Drops Its Own
Jerard Davis, 33, a resident of Palm Coast’s Buttonwell Lane, was originally arrested after a high-profile search of his business, from where police claimed he was selling drugs and counterfeit merchandise.
For 4th Time Since 1995, State Attorney Drops Criminal Charge Against Ex-Dr. Fruehan, But ‘Further Proceedings’ Possible
Even though his office filed the charge a day before the two-year statute of limitation expired, Fruehan was not served until after the date passed.
D’Marcus Boyd, 22, Is Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison and 5 Years’ Probation Over Rape of Ex
D’Marcus Boyd, released from prison two and a half years ago, pleaded guilty to raping his then-fiancee and burglarizing his father’s house in Palm Coast’s P Section.
Court Hearing in Notorious Case of Dangerous Dog Cooper Scheduled for Day Before Election
The owner of Cooper the dog wants a judge to overrule a Palm Coast hearing officer’s death sentence so the dog can be exiled to a refuge for dangerous dogs on Florida’s west coast.
Jury Finds Jonathan Canales Guilty of Attempted Murder of Ex; He Faces Mandatory Life in Prison
A jury believed the prosecution’s argument that Jonathan Canales had attempted to kill his then-girlfriend and made up innumerable stories, claiming she had attempted suicide.
“If I Was To Shoot Tiffany, Do You Think I Would Use a .22 When I Have an M-4 Laying Right Next To Her?”
Jonathan Canales, accused of attempting to murder his ex with a rifle shot to the neck, said he’d have used a more powerful weapon if he really wanted to kill Tiffany Norman, and left her dead.
Who Shot Tiffany Norman? In Attempted Murder Trial, Her Ex Is Shown as Dissembling Narcissist
Jonathan Canales, shown through body cam and interrogation videos, couldn’t keep his story straight or mask his misogynistic hatred of the victim as the trial entered its third day.
Overlooked Evidence Between Blood Spatters Undermines Prosecution in Canales’s Attempted Murder Trial
The prosecution’s first day unwittingly revealed that a crime scene investigator missed key evidence in the shooting of Tiffany Norman in Jonathan Canales’s trial on an attempted first-degree murder charge.
Judge Rules Prior Allegations of Threats and Violence Admissible in Jonathan Canales’s Trial for Attempted Murder of Ex
Jonathan Canales, 31, goes on trial Monday on attempted first-degree murder of his ex-fiancee, Tiffany Norman, four years ago in the Mondex. Today’s ruling was a blow to his defense.
As Jonathan Canales’s Trial for Attempted Murder Nears, Ex Alleges History of Violence Before He Shot Her
Tiffany Norman, 29, for the first time in court spoke of her life with Jonathan Canales leading up to the night when he allegedly shot her in the neck with a rifle as her three young children slept in the family’s trailer in the Mondex in 2014.
State Attorney Drops Battery Charge Against Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley, Closing the Case
The domestic battery misdemeanor charge against Eric Cooley was dropped Friday morning after the prosecution failed to convince the alleged victim to cooperate, ending the three-month case against the Flagler Beach city commissioner and 7-Eleven owner.
Judge Moore-Stens Denies Gag Order on Sheriff, Dissolving Mound of Motions In Eric Cooley Case
Telling the attorney seeking a gag order on Sheriff Rick Staly that he was on a “fishing expedition,” County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens this afternoon denied the motion, ending an unusual sideshow in the battery case against Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley.
Memories of Heartbreak, Triumph and Farewells at Flagler’s 32nd Drug Court Graduation
Circuit Judge Dennis Craig returned to preside over Flagler’s drug court graduation for the last time and saw goodbye to 11-year coordinator and tough cop Mike Greenier.
Claiming Judge Moore-Stens “Abused” Her Discretion, Sheriff Staly Appeals to Circuit Court for Stay on Subpoena
Sheriff Staly and his office in a flurry of legal moves today attempted to quash a subpoena that would have him testify Thursday in Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley’s case of alleged domestic violence.
Sheriff Staly Must Testify on His Own ‘Prejudicial’ Language in Cooley Case as Judge Upholds Subpoena
It is the most striking development yet in the high-profile domestic-violence case against Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley, roping in the sheriff in unexpected ways. He is fighting the subpoena.
Obtravies Watkins, 35, Is Guilty of Attempted Murder and Rape and Sentenced to Life in Prison
Obtravies Watkins was found guilty for what turned into the kidnapping of a Daytona Beach prostitute, whom he then brutalized and left for dead off Old Kings Road in Palm Coast.
Attorney Calls For Gag Order on Sheriff Staly in Eric Cooley Case, Claiming Prejudicial Words
Palm Coast Attorney Josh Davis wants a court to muzzle Sheriff Rick Staly in the case of alleged domestic violence involving Flagler Beach City Commissioner Eric Cooley. The sheriff is having none of it.
13 Years in Prison For Matthew Nesbitt, Who’d Threatened Cops With a Knife in Z-Section Chase
The three-hour sentencing hearing devolved at times into a shouting match and disbelief over suggestions that cops should not be scared by a knife-wielding man.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley’s Victim of Alleged Battery Wants Case Dropped
The alleged victim in the battery case against Flagler Beach business owner and Commissioner Eric Cooley cites media and social media “stalking” among reasons she wants the case dropped.
Keith Johansen, Accused of Murdering His Wife, May Not be Competent to Stand Trial
Keith Johansen is accused of murdering his wife, Brandi Cleneza, 25, at their F-Section home in April. Authorities have seized a notebook he kept that they say may be revealing.
Racist and Bullying Behavior Leads to Firing, Retirement and Transfer of 3 Veteran Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies
Following internal investigations, Deputy Jon Freshcorn, Sgt. John Bray and Cmdr. Brian Pasquariello were all subject to discipline following a breakdown in professional conduct at the courthouse.
DUI Manslaughter Charge for David Zlokas in Death of Gary St. Peter in A1A Crash;
Bar Named in Lawsuit
David Zlokas and Gary St. Peter had just left Uncaged Tasting Room, the bar in the Hammock, when they crashed and St. Peter was killed. Zlokas faces criminal and civil actions.
Flagler Beach Commissioner Kim Carney Sued For Invasion of Privacy and Negligence
By Rape Victim
A lawsuit claims Kim Carney intentionally sought to publicly reveal the name of a rape victim and discredit her. Carney counters that she didn’t do anything illegal.
Supreme Court Clears Release of Parkland Massacre Videos School Board Sought to Block
The order sides with a coalition of news organizations and ordered the release of footage from the afternoon of Feb. 14, when 17 people were killed at the school.
Jury Finds Matthew Nesbitt Guilty on 7 Counts in Near-Lethal Confrontation With Cops and Dog, Faces 15 Years in Prison
The trial provided a rare and detailed look into the raw emotions, fears, confusions, split-second judgments and calculations of deputies in a potentially lethal confrontation.
Mom Who Sought Charges Against Her Son Now Pleads Mercy As He Faces Trial For Attacking Cops and Police Dog
Matthew Nesbitt, 45, goes on trial Monday on six felony charges. Last November he led cops on a chase through Palm Coast’s Z Section before surrendering.
Flagler County Judge Moore-Stens Finally Gets Help, As Does Civil Bench
Senior judges will pick up civil and county court dockets, a big help for Flagler County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens, whose dockets is among the heaviest in the state.
Judge Reduces Supervision on Veteran Who Killed a Man Near Graham Swamp in 2006
Brian Wothers, now 36, shot and killed 26-year-old Jeffrey Maxwell in Palm Coast and was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a bench trial, but had been confined to a state hospital.
19-Year-Old Originally Accused of Rape Pleads to Child Abuse, 1 Year in Jail and Probation
Fredie Jiles Leon of Palm Coast originally faced two counts of raping a 13-year-old, but a series of mitigating circumstances led to the plea deal and 4 years’ probation.
For 21-Year-Old Who Brutalized Dog, 270 Days in Jail, 5 Years’ Probation, Lifetime Felon
Brenden Geary, 21, left an 11-lb Yorkshire terrier unconscious after brutalizing her at a W-Section Palm Coast home in Palm Coast last March.
Supreme Court Orders Flagler’s Judge Scott DuPont Removed in Unanimous Decision
Scott DuPont, who’d served on Flagler’s and Putnam’s civil benches since 2010, was investigated for improprieties on and off the bench.
Behind Campaign to ‘Save Cooper’ the Dangerous Dog, Broken Pledges on Both Sides and Palm Coast’s Arbitrary Calls
Cooper’s owner broke a pledge to kill the dog, and the victim broke a pledge not to sue, while Palm Coast pursued euthanizing the dog but not charges against the owner, even though the law says it should do both.
Facing Life in Prison, George Wood Is Found Incompetent to Stand Trial; 2 Previous Guilty Verdicts In Question
Palm Coast’s George Wood, 32, was headed for trial on an armed burglary charge that could lock him up for life, and was sentenced to 10 years in February in separate trials.
Life In Prison For William Schwarz, Drunk Driver Who Killed Kathy and Carl Boos in Flagler Beach
The sentence against William Schwarz was extraordinarily harsh, but also driven by his very lengthy record of drunk driving and other criminal arrests.
Clarence Murphy Is Sentenced To Life In Prison, No Parole, In Murder of Cousin Ahmad Laster
Clarence Murphy Jr. shot his cousin Ahmed Rashad Laster on Palm Coast’s Parkview Drive last September during an argument, and soon confessed.
Yes, You May Smoke It: Judge Rules Florida’s Ban on Smoking Medical Marijuana Unconstitutional
Judge Karen Gievers found that a constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 gives eligible patients the right to smoke the treatment in private.
Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison, F-Section Arsonist Leaves Judge Craig Puzzled By ‘Senselessness’
Circuit Judge Dennis Craig spoke heartfully and at length of the senselessness of 29-year-old Vitaly Tsabak’s burning of a family home before sentencing him to what proved to be a remarkably lenient 20-year term.
Dorothy Singer Found Guilty of Murdering Her Husband Charles; She Is Immediately Sentenced To Life In Prison
The jury did not buy Dorothy Singer’s claim of self-defense when contrasted with the huge web of lies she fabricated after killing her husband Charles in West Flagler.
Dorothy Singer Murder Trial Day 3: Unearthing Details of a Killing and Its Elaborate Cover-Up
The prosecution today focused on the five shots that killed Charles Singer and the three months of cover-ups his wife Dorothy concocted until her arrest.
Lucille Horton Acquitted In Death of Husband In Grand Haven Vehicular Homicide Case
Lucille Horton was accused of throwing off her husband Richard Resnicoff, who’d sat on her car’s trunk, during a domestic dispute in 2013, leading to Resnicoff’s death after he hit the pavement.
On Trial For Husband’s Murder, Dorothy Singer’s Own Words and Fabrications Dig Deep Grave
Dorothy Singer, accused of murdering and burying her husband in their west-Flagler backyard, wove a web of lies to detectives and friends to explain her husband’s disappearance, as the jury heard today.
Dorothy Singer Murder Trial Starts Against Sharp Defense Objections Over Rules of Evidence
The lawyer for Dorothy Singer filed a motion for an emergency stay with an appeals court after losing attempts to delay the trial over evidence being provided late.
Defense Calls For Judge Craig To Be Disqualified From Dorothy Singer Murder Trial Following String of Startling Statements
Dorothy Singer is on trial Monday for allegedly murdering her husband Charles in West Flagler last year, but the defense claims the judge has made a series of statements that betray favoritism for the state.
5 Years in Prison for Allen D. Adams in DUI Death of Brittany Pitt on Old Dixie
Allen Adams, 30, will serve a minimum of four years out of a possible five, 10 years’ probation and lose his driver’s license for life over the DUI death of Brittany Pitt, 26.
Grand Jury Indicts Michael Cummings For 1st Degree Murder in Death of Ex-Wife on Point Pleasant
Michael Cummings had initially been charged with second-degree murder. Today’s grand jury indictment is a surprise, finding premeditation in the alleged killing.
Flagler Judge DuPont’s Fate in Supreme Court’s Hands As He Pleads For ‘Second Chance’
Flagler and Putnam Circuit Judge Scott DuPont, facing removal, filed his last pleading before the Florida Supreme Court decides his fate in the next few weeks.
One Month in Jail, 2 Years’ Probation For Man Who Assaulted Teen at Epic Theater
C.J. Nelson, the 40-year-old Palm Coast father of eight previously accused of child abuse, could have faced up to five years in prison before a jury convicted him on lesser charges.
Flagler Judge Scott DuPont Called “Unfit,” “Outrageous,” “Disturbing,” “Beyond Reckless” and Contemptuous of Law
A devastating 21-page opinion by a disciplinary judicial commission repeats in harsher language a call for Judge Scott DuPont’s removal, a recommendation going before the Supreme Court.
20 Years in Prison for Ex-Soccer Coach Who Molested Boys at Palm Coast Academy; He Faces New Rape Charge
Sean Stern was a program director at Palm Coast’s ex-Sports Pathways soccer academy for boys and girls, where he molested at least three boys over many months.